


Cat Burglar

by ctl_yuejie



Category: NewTay, Our Skyy (TV), Taynew, จูบให้ได้ถ้านายแน่จริง เร็วๆนี้ | Kiss Me Again: The Series (TV), จูบให้ได้ถ้านายแน่จริง เร็วๆนี้ | Kiss Me Again: The Series (TV) RPF, เพื่อนแก้เหงา | Blue Kiss - hideko_sunshine
Genre: Don’t copy to another site, Fluff, M/M, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Romance, Twitter Prompt, cat!newwie, some nonsensically cute au, still don't know how to tag TayNew, white couch makes an appearance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-06 20:42:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17352248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ctl_yuejie/pseuds/ctl_yuejie
Summary: twitter prompt by @taynewstuff:au where new is a creature that turns from human to cat form, he’s lost on the streets when tay finds him and takes him home inside his hoodie bc it’s freezing outside, next thing tay knows there’s a whole man sleeping on his sofa where he left the cat the night before.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [@taynewstuff](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=%40taynewstuff).



The room is pitch-black.  
Outside the street-lights shine bright, but the curtains are dark and heavy and pulled so tight that not even the light from the neon sign across the street filters through.  
On occasion a motorbike passes and the faint noise of the engine can be heard but otherwise it’s dead-silent.  
The silence makes Tay’s heart-beat appear much louder than it actually is. He can feel his chest tightening.  
Another bike passes.  
Then silence. And just his heart beating.  
Tay turns around in his bed and reaches for his phone.  
Momentarily blinded by the screen he has to squint to make out the numbers. 1 am.  
He has been lying awake for over one hour now. Nothing to do except staring at the darkness above him and still sleep wouldn’t come to him.  
His back starts to hurt so he turns over on his side, unlocks his phone and goes through his twitter feed.  
The timeline is dead. He sighs.  
After getting off work early he thought today would be his chance to catch up on sleep so he had gone to bed earlier when usual. Despite feeling wrung-out his heart was beating wildly keeping him awake and exhausted. After re-watching some old clips of whales he liked weeks ago, he puts down his phone and turns to sit up on the edge of his bed. 

 

Might as well go for a walk instead of just lying here. Stretching his body, he picks up a pair of track pants from the floor. Putting them on, he grabs his phone and heads out into the living room. There’s just enough light coming from the street to make out the edges of the furniture. But without his glasses Tay is practically blind anyways so he knows his way around by heart. The room itself is very clean, everything stored away neatly for this exact reason; so that he doesn’t fall over anything in the mornings.  
Tay grabs a hoodie from the pile of clothes that are waiting to get washed, pushes his phone into the front pocket and heads out.  
Having no certain destination, he turns to the right at the next corner and walks on. There’s no traffic in the smaller streets and the soft breeze makes it easier to breathe. But his body is still feeling restless and Tay shudders at the thought of having to spend the next 30 minutes to tire himself out. His feet take him to the next crossing where the traffic is bustling despite the hours and the sudden onslaught of noise makes his head hurt.  
The 7-eleven sign across the road is the only welcome sight. Dragging his feet the last few meters, he buys some water to ease his headache, deciding to turn back and hoping for the best. Maybe the way back will be enough to get his body under control.  
It’s almost half past two when Tay arrives back at his apartment.  
He walks up the stairs to the apartment complex when he almost steps on something. Taking a quick leap he just so manages to leave out a step before stumbling and landing on all fours.  
The mystery obstacle hidden from sight under his body.  
The water bottle gets flung across the ground and Tay has to take a second before his head stops spinning and he’s able to turn around. Sitting down he dusts off the dirt from his palms, eyes falling onto the object that caused his fall.  
There’s a cat sleeping on the stairs.  
He sighs.  
While cats might not be his favourite animals he knows that leaving it there will only lead to other people stumbling and maybe even stepping onto it. He crouches down to the small creature, softly prodding its side with his finger. The fur is soft but the body feels unnaturally hot to the touch. He turns on the flashlight on his phone and now he can see that the cat is breathing rapidly, shivers running through its body. 

Sighing he gets up to collect his water bottle while dialling the vet’s emergency number relaying them the information of the sick cat. They seem to be very busy and the stressed-out lady on the phone advises him to either drive down to one of their emergency offices or take care of the cat himself until the regular pet clinics open in the morning. If it’s a stray cat the most likely causes are either an infection or exhaustion but she can’t be sure just by the symptoms Tay describes to her over the phone. They agree on Tay trying to offer some water and food to the cat first and he promises to come in as soon as the cat’s condition worsens. He slips out of the sleeves of his hoodie, pulling it around until the hood is at the front. Bending down, he carefully scoops up the cat and places it in the hood.  
It doesn’t resist, doesn’t even stir in his fever induced slumber and Tay feels something tugging at his heart, suddenly feeling very, very tired. 

 

His eyes are already half-closed when he kicks off his shoes, heading inside his apartment.  
The sofa should do for a make-shift bed, but in hindsight his hood might not have been the best place to put the cat because now he is caught up in a different dilemma. Should he scoop out the cat first or should he try to pull of his hoodie, cat still sleeping inside…  
The small creature looks like it has melted into a puddle inside the hood, little pink paws holding tightly onto the fabric. The fur is tickling Tay’s nose and he really hasn’t thought this through. After running his hands through his hair for some time, he decides to just kneel down in front of the sofa. Placing the hood on top first and slipping out on arm, he then starts wriggling out of the hoodie trying to hold the cat in place with his free hand.  
He’s glad no one is there to witness his weird dance which looks more like he’s doing an offering to a cat deity. When he manages to place the cat onto the sofa he’s out of breath and a thin layer of swear is covering his upper body, but at least the cat didn’t wake up.  
Despite laying on the street its white fur is pristine and Tay starts to wonder whether it’s really a stray. He should ask the vet to check for a chip first thing tomorrow.  
The vet!  
He remembers the advice he had received over the phone and puts some canned tuna in a bowl and water in another, placing them next to the cat. It doesn’t stir once, even when Tay pats his head and the rapid breathing is the only indication that it’s still alive. The body still feels quite hot to the touch though and Tay starts to worry again. What if it’s something serious?!  
Rummaging through the medicine stored in the cupboard he searches for a thermometer silently rejoicing when he finds a small tube of vaseline with it that’s usually reserved for Khaotung. It’s a good thing that he takes his dog with him from time to time when he visits his family home so he doesn’t have to use his lube for this. Tay shudders at the thought. Looking up the instructions on the internet he manages to take the cat’s temperature. It is indeed high, but still in the range of the ordinary. A sigh escapes Tay and he rearranges the cat on the sofa so that its small body is fully engulfed by the hoodie.  
He quickly sends a text to his boss calling in sick because regardless of the cat’s condition he has to go to the vet anyways to check for a chip.  
The bedside clock reads 3:05 when he finally falls into bed and passes out right away.

 

The same clock awakens him rudely at half past six. Tay wants to slap himself for forgetting to reset the alarm before falling into bed yesterday. At least he has the day off, thanks to the cat.  
The cat!  
Tay bolds out of his bed, making a run for his door. What if its condition has worsened while he was asleep. What if its dead?!  
He stops dead in his tracks at the doorway. There’s a man on his sofa. Wearing his hoodie. And no cat.  
Tay clings onto the door frame, panic spreading through his body. How should one react to an intruder? Even more so a sleeping one?! Backtracking into his room he scrambles for his phone, grabbing his wooden back scratcher as a weapon trying not to leave the man out of his sight for too long.  
Emergency number dialled in his phone he approaches the man, back scratcher held up in defence in front of him. The intruder is sleeping on his side, his back facing Tay. He’s without doubt wearing the same hoodie Tay put onto the cat yesterday. Moving to the side Tay lays down his phone temporarily to grab his glasses off the table. He can see better now, but inexplicably there’s still a man lying on his sofa. In his hoodie.  
Tay’s eyes wander down the man’s body. A white butt cheek is peaking out underneath the hem. Great.  
There’s a stranger in his apartment wearing his hoodie. Only his hoodie.  
Despite the commotion and noise he must have made the guy is sleeping peacefully, hoodie pulled up to his nose, chest heaving with every breath he takes. Tay uses the back scratcher to slowly pull at the hem in order to get a better look at the man’s face. His arm is shaking, sweat running down the side of his face as he tries not to alert the other to his presence.  
Maybe he should’ve called the police right away. He really needs to find the cat. 

 

Pulling down the fabric Tay finds the intruders face to be surprisingly soft. His skin is much lighter than Tay’s, almost glowing, and soft puffs of air pass his rosy pink lips.  
White skin, pink lips.  
Tay stops his thought process. No, no, no. This can’t be. No. He must be crazy.  
Being close like this he notices how thick the man’s arms look even underneath the oversized hoodie. Tay wonders whether he would win in a physical altercation. Better not let it come to that. But what should he do? Alerting the authorities seems to be silly. As crazy as it sounds, besides breaking and entering the stranger doesn’t seem to pose much of a threat. And what kind of burglar would break in just to take a nap?  
Without thinking, Tay reaches down to push away the stranger’s sweaty bangs. He immediately pulls back once he realizes what he’s doing. But now there’s yet another thing to worry about. The stranger’s body is burning up, cheeks tinted red and his breathing is getting heavier.  
Maybe it’s due to his lack of sleep, or that yesterday’s cat threw him off tracks, but suddenly the crazy thought doesn’t seem to be so crazy anymore. This must be the cat. Or some kind of Animagus situation.  
For some reason Harry Potter being able to make some sort of sense of the situation manages to calm him down.

 

The stranger is still lying there, defenceless and running a fever so he clearly is in the advantage now.  
On his tip-toes Tay searches around his apartment for any signs of the cat but when he finally comes back into the living room he knows that for now he has to accept the apparent truth. This man is indeed yesterday’s cat.  
Getting confident he forgoes sneaking around, deletes the emergency number typed in on his phone and tentatively places the back scratch onto the table. The only answers he might get are from the cat-person himself, so for now it only seems logical to tend to the man’s fever.  
Cleaning the guy’s face with a damp towel he gets lost in his thoughts. 

 

The rude awakening comes curtesy of his boss, who just then decides to ring his phone. The ringtone blasts through the silence giving Tay a heart-attack. Quickly he puts the phone towards his ear, eyes fixed onto the man next to him as to his horror the cat-person slowly opens his eyes.  
They both stare at each other while his boss gives him instructions over the phone Tay isn’t really listening to. The cat-person’s eyes get even wider when he starts to take in his surroundings. Tay barely manages to clasp a hand over the other’s mouth before he can scream.  
“Yes, sir. Yes, sure”, he says absentmindedly to finish the call.  
“Just make sure to send the files. I’ll see you tomorrow when you’re feeling better.”  
Tay wants to say his goodbyes but the cat-person bites down hard. He manages to just conceal his scream behind a cough before he hangs up.  
“Auw. What the fuck?!” He retracts his hand, bite marks leaving white spots on his skin.  
The cat-guy scoots back to the end of the sofa before sitting up.  
“Who are you and where is this?” His voice is raspy from the sleep and his face goes white when he realizes his state of undress.  
Tay puts up his hands in what he hopes to look like a pacifying gesture.  
“I found you laying in the streets. Wait, I get you something to wear.”  
The cat-person still looks pretty dazed, cheeks flushed red and Tay remembers that he’s only wearing his underwear. Fuck.  
He makes a run for his wardrobe quickly changing into jeans and a shirt before getting something to wear for the guy on his couch as well.  
The cat-person seems to be much more alert when he comes back into the room but he looks more frightened than anything. Tay stretches out his arm to hand over the clothes, when he suddenly hears a low grumble.  
Going for an encouraging smile he tentatively pats the other’s head before getting batted away.  
“Sorry. Do you…do you want something to eat?”  
Pulling the clothes closer to his body the cat-person hums affirmingly.  
“There’s tuna and water in the bowls.”  
Now cat-person is giving him an indignant look.  
“I’m not a cat!”  
Tay is stunned silent for a moment before he recovers.  
“Uh. What do you want then?”  
“Cake.”

 

At first he thinks it’s a joke but the cat-person gives him a piercing look, so he decides to give in.  
“Sure, I have to run to the convenience store to get some though. Wait here.” He stops when he sees panic flashing across the other’s face.  
“Or don’t”, he continues. “I leave the door unlocked.”  
“Wait. Where are my clothes.”  
Tay turns around and sighs. There’s really no way around this isn’t it.  
“You didn’t have anything on when I found you. You were a cat.”  
Judging by the shocked gasp he hears when he turns around to leave the cat-person will still be there waiting for him to get some answers. Tay isn’t sure whether he can offer any.

 

He falls into a fast jog and arriving at yesterday’s 7-eleven he grabs the next best fluffy cake together with a custard sandwich and runs back. Funny how different the same street can look depending on the time. And on whether there’s a cat-person lying on the street waiting to get stumbled over.  
Tay knows that he’s way too excited but the curiosity is getting the better of him.  
He’s out of breath when he opens his apartment door, the cat-person now fully clothed standing in the middle of the room. The sleeves of the hoodie are pulled up high in an obvious attempt to show off his muscles and intimidate Tay.  
It’s only working partially because his cheeks are still tinted pink from the fever and Tay catches himself thinking ‘cute’.

 

“You can call me Tay”, he says in order to break the tension as he slips out of his shoes, this time arranging them neatly to the side.  
“I’m New” cat-person, no, New says, still not dropping his guard.  
Tay places the plastic bag onto the table before turning towards the kitchen, halting awkwardly in his step.  
“You can eat if you want to. I usually have whey protein…”, he trails of but New just nods so he makes his way to the kitchen to grab his own breakfast.  
When he returns New has bitten off half of both the sweets, whipped cream smeared on the corner of his mouth. Tay grabs a tissue to wipe it off but New is faster.  
“Stop it. I can do this much on my own.”  
“But you’re a cat. Aren’t you?” Tay is pretty sure that New will now be convinced that he’s crazy. But instead he just closes his eyes and sighs.  
“This is crazy. Never happened before, but I clearly remember running through the streets as a cat yesterday. And you saying the same thing seems to confirm it. This is crazy.” New rubs his temples with his fingers, drawing soothing circles onto the skin.  
“I thought you were some kind of Animagus.” Tay can’t help but sound curious.  
New retaliates by slapping his arm.  
There’s a silence.  
Both look at each other in shock at the sudden intimate reaction. Tay clears his throat.

 

“Where do you live then?”  
“Chidlom.”  
“That’s pretty far by foot no wonder you fell unconscious.”  
“Hm.” Newwiee hums in answer and finishes his breakfast. “I think my fever broke. I’ll better get going”, he stops before tentatively adding “you can give me your number so I can return your clothes.”  
“Sure.” Tay gets up with New but before he can pull out his phone New sways dangerously on his spot so he grabs him instead and sits him back down on the sofa.  
“Urgh.” New looks dejected by his fading energy.  
“Just wait until the sugar gets into your blood-flow. You’ll feel better.”  
Newwiee leans his head against Tay’s shoulder instead of an answer, closing his eyes. Tay sits rooted to his spot, not sure how to react.  
New’s breath is evening out. Great. He’s fallen asleep.  
Tay awkwardly puts his arms around him to lay him down, placing him back into the position he found him in just a few hours ago.  
He’s not sure why, but he automatically starts to pat his head again, softly stroking his bangs.  
New’s chest rises evenly.

Tay decides to wait until New wakes on his own and to get some work done in the meantime. The next time he turns towards the sofa a white cat lies there snuggled up in his hoodie. He sighs.  
New does wake up again, but he’s still not in his human form. Tay finds some amusement in feeding the cranky cat some tuna before it falls asleep again. 

 

Several hours pass and Tay opts for heating up some food feeling anxious about leaving New alone. Absent-mindedly he watches the seconds on the microwave timer ticking down when New puts his chin on his shoulder. Tay jumps in surprise and almost falls, but New holds him up, a lazy grin on his face.

 

“You’re human again.”  
“Hm.”  
When he tries to shake him off New has the audacity to pout. Now Tay helplessly stands in front of the microwave as New is resting more of his weight onto him, sneaking his arm around his waist to steady himself.  
“Bad cat.” Tay grumbles.  
New starts to say something in return but gets interrupted by the ping of the microwave.  
“Hungry”, he says instead, smiling when Tay reaches for two plates.

 

The convenience store bought curry with rice isn’t the best but New finishes the dish in an instant hungrily eyeing Tay’s portion.  
Tay sighs again and draws a line, giving New a stern look when he has to defend even that border. Remembering something he puts his hand to Newwiee’s forehead, who looks surprised but lets him do as he pleases.  
“Good. You didn’t get a fever.” He gives New a satisfied nod.  
“Do you have a thermometer? Just to be sure. I still feel slightly dizzy and hot.”  
“Uh. I do. But I’ve used it on cat-you, so I wouldn’t advice to…” Tay gets cut off by an indignant whine.  
New’s whole face is flushed red and he furiously runs his hands through his hair as to shake off the mental image Tay has given him.  
“Sorry. I thought you were a cat. And you were sick so…”  
New doesn’t answer and stares mortified at the table.  
‘Cute’ Tay catches himself thinking again.  
“Do you want to take a shower now that we know that you don’t run a fever?”  
New whips his head around.  
“Stop, talking about the fever.” His eyes get soft, begging him to let the matter go. Tay stops himself when he feels the strong urge to pat New’s head again.  
“But I’d like to take a shower if it’s okay.”

Tay goes through the apartment fetching New a towel and a new set of clothes before showing him the bathroom.  
New takes everything but the sweater with him, pulling the hood over his face so Tay can’t see his expression.  
“Stop laughing!”, he says and locks the door when Tay can’t hold it in anymore.

After cleaning up the dishes Tay gets back to work. Listening to the running water he thinks about New in the shower, wondering if he’s turned back into a cat or not. He feels his head getting heavier. Most likely still a human, he muses closing his eyes, as the sound of water is running in the background.  
He rudely gets awakened by a cat sitting on his face.


	2. cat got your tongue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> because i found the ending of the first piece to be not that satisfactory i wrote a short continuation. ^^

Almost a month has past before they see each other again.  
It’s the grand opening night of the Iconsiam shopping mall and Tay pushes through the crowd that has gathered in front of the big central stage.  
The owners didn’t shy away from expenses, having invited several k-pop stars to headline the event.  
Now he knows why Alice told him to arrive early. Having to fight for a good spot against squealing teenagers will take its time. The girl standing next to him seems to get dragged down by the weight of her photography equipment, some of it looking so professional that Tay almost feels inadequate for bringing only one of his cameras.  
At least the silliness of it all already promises great entertainment.  
With polite bows but determined steps he makes his way through the crowd opting for a spot closer to the speaker’s desk.  
Satisfied with the view he has of the stage Tay turns around to see if Alice has already arrived at the venue. Luckily everyone around him is much shorter, but neither Alice nor her manager are to be seen. Although...  
Far in the back a familiar head stands out to him from the crowd.  
With a shake of his head New tries to bring his bangs in order, using his fingers to push some unruly strands of hair to one side. Tay sends him a smile, but he knows it’s in vain. They’re too far apart, New not looking into his direction and he himself unable to move without giving up his spot.  
They had exchanged numbers that day, but after they had parted they’d only messaged each other once to set up a date for New to return the clothes he borrowed.  
However they both had been busy and the exchange never happened.  
Additionally to being swamped with work Tay thought that it was only appropriate to give New the time and space to figure out his situation so he didn't press on with the matter. In the end they had gone a month now without talking.

Before he realises it New’s head vanishes into the crowd. Tay dejectedly turns around and decides to take some practice shots of the stage. If he’s lucky, New might stick around long enough for them to meet after the event.

The opening itself is grand to say the least, Alice routinely leading through the evening announcing one star after the other. After the last concert is over everyone pours into the surrounding stores and soon the space around the stage is completely cleared out.  
Taking a look around Tay is searching for what must have been New but none of the faces around him look familiar. A sudden thought comes to his mind.  
He lowers his gaze and takes another look around.  
Looks like New hasn't turned into a cat again. At least not tonight.

A hand on his shoulder startles him and he turns around do be greeted by the blinding smile of Alice. A group of elderly men waiting in the distance, most likely to guide her to the after party.  
"Will you join me?", she asks and without waiting for an answer pulls him over and introduces him to what must be the sponsors of the event. Tay politely introduces himself. His "just a photographer" earns him a playful slap, Alice correcting him immediately. "His name is quite well-known in the business, although his work focuses on landscapes."  
More people join and soon Tay is surrounded by investors, celebrities and politicians who all can't leave the chance out to be seen.  
The after-show itself is quite tasteful despite the grandeur and he finds himself enjoying the evening, taking the chance to network and connect with old work colleagues.  
He politely turns down a glass of champagne and the waitress moves out of the way when another distinguished man joins his group.  
Tay wais to the elderly man who turns out to be a professor of his alma mater. Despite having graduated from a different department, they're quite quickly engaged in exchanging the latest news on Chulalongkorn.  
After all the business talk the conversation is like a breath of fresh air.  
The camera around his neck piques the man's interest. It turns out that his department does research on food engineering, 'more of an art than a science' the professor says  
and he's quite eager to see the pictures Tay took during the event. Humming in satisfaction he offers Tay to hire him next time.  
"We do cooperate with food companies to not only enhance the products themselves but also to make them more aesthetically pleasing. Art is a science but science is also an art. For the aesthetic aspects we need a professional eye."  
Tay nods politely.  
The elderly man gives him an understanding look. "You said your focus was on landscapes, but I quite like your style and your friend told me you do different orders as well. One of my doctorates is focused on sweets and looking for someone to take pictures. If you don't mind I'd like to share your info with him."  
Tay smiles.  
"Sure. It is true that I have my professional scope, but it's always fun to branch out. Make hay as the sun shines*."  
The professor gives him a pleased nod, patting his breast pocket where he put his business card holder with Tay's contact information.

"Professor!", a baritone voice calls out and Tay's ears tingle at the sound.  
Turning around he sees New, dressed in a simple suit wai-ing respectfully to his professor and in turn towards the other people in their group.  
Tay has to suppress a laugh at the expression New makes when he finally lifts his head after the last bow to find himself looking at Tay.  
New's eyes widen and he seems lost for words, nevertheless pleased to see Tay.

The professor however seems to be adamant to finish his conversation with Tay first, beckoning New to join the other men and to make new contacts.  
Tay doesn't really listen to the rest of what the professor is saying, eyes flitting to New, who seems very awkward and clumsy at making small-talk, the conversations around him slowly but surely quieting down. One after the other the group disperses, leaving New no choice but to half-dejectedly stand on his own, not sure whether it is okay to interrupt Tay and his professor.  
Their eyes meet, New immediately looking down, evading him.  
"I was about to set you two up but now that you're here you can ask him for his number yourself." The professor encouragingly waves at New to step closer.  
"He's a photographer.", he explains, says his goodbyes to Tay and vanishes into the crowd. New visibly relaxes. 

"I thought he was about to set us up." New sighs. "What are you doing here and how did you get to know my professor?"  
"I'm here to take pictures for a friend. The professor is someone I just met. I had no idea he was your doctorate supervisor?"  
"You just met him?"  
Tay raises his eye-brows.  
"You seemed to be quite chummy."  
"Maybe you're just not good with small-talk." Tay isn't sure whether their relationship is at a stage where he's allowed to tease New.  
New sighs again.  
"He said that you're in need of a photographer?"  
"Ah, that's what he meant with setting us up. Yes, I do. But I can always ask someone else."  
Tay feels dejected even when he knows it probably wasn't meant that strongly.  
"My thesis is on the nutritional issues of consuming fats and sugars. My work is to present general strategies for substituting fats and sugars in baked products. For my paper I need pictures of finished products."  
"I could...unless...", Tay doesn't know why he isn't able to just offer his service. Or why he feels like he wants to do this job despite it being out of his scope, making him most likely not the best candidate. Instead he opts for a question. "Do you know many photographers?"  
"I'm not really close with any, but I model as a part-time job so I could definitely ask around."  
New's eyes look unsure. As if he caught himself boasting and is now embarrassed. Why would he feel embarrassed in front of him?  
New is quite tall. Maybe not runway tall, but Tay could definitely see him as a model. In his mind he thinks about what angles New would look best from and what light would compliment his skin the most. Maybe he models for swim-wear. Tay fidgets with the strap of his camera.  
"Is that the reason you do your research on healthy sweets? So you can eat them even when modelling?" Half-curios, half-teasingly.  
"Not really. I work-out enough to compensate for all the calories. I'm more interested in the health-aspects." New finds it surprisingly easy to talk to Tay.  
"I'm quite the expert on healthy foods."  
"Then do you want to try some of my cake some time?"  
"Not much of a sweets person." Now it's New's turn to feel rejected. "But, I'd try some." Tay quickly adds. "It must be nice to do your research on such a fulfilling subject."  
New laughs at his bad wordplay.  
Tay is pretty sure by now that he’d likes to hang out more with New.  
"I like the math's aspect of it. But I'm not sure if I want to work in that area. The cake is a plus though." New smiles at him, eyes vanishing and Tay can feel his heart beating against his chest.

"Then you should try some of the cake that's making the rounds right now!" Alice hollers, joining their conversations. She seems to be quite tipsy.  
Tay introduces them and after getting nagged to send her the pictures of tonight's event first thing in the morning she curiously eyes New.  
"We're getting cake", she yells back before pulling New with her.  
When Tay catches up New is sitting at a big round table surrounded by several people their age, plate full of different small pieces of patisseries.  
He's happily munching on one of the pieces but Tay can see that he's slightly uncomfortable being surrounded by the group of unknown showbiz people.  
Before he can head-over to save him someone grabs his arm.  
Looks like all drama and theatre graduates have joined the event and soon Tay gets swamped by old school-friends, everyone excitedly discussing their newest works and  
throwing fits over pictures Tay still owes them.  
One look over his shoulder and he can see that New has vanished.

The Chula crowd moves on to the next table and Tay exhaustedly sits down on the chair New has left vacant.  
"He'll be back." Alice encourages him, but New remains nowhere to be seen.

Tay is about to get up and leave, angry at himself for leaving New alone and losing him when a small cat jumps into his lap.  
After recovering from the initial shock, he nudges the cat’s head reprovingly.  
"I’ll put a collar on you, so you don't run away next time."  
Cat New has amazing instincts when it comes to finding Tay’s weak spots and it head-butts his neck in retaliation.  
“Don't touch my neck.”, Tay hisses, but he carefully cradles the cat in his arms, making sure that they’re not getting too much attention and starts to look for New's clothes. New’s small paws tap his hands on occasion to steer him in the right direction and finally he can make out New’s suit, his shoes, and a clutch underneath a group of bushes.  
Luckily the light is dimmed and no one pays attention to the photographer with a cat and a suit in his arms.  
Tay, guided by New, takes them both back to the garage.  
Fishing the keys out of the pocket of New’s pants he places cat New on the back seat, arranging his clothes around him.  
Not knowing what to do he opens the passenger door, sits down and goes through the pictures he has shot, hoping that New will turn back soon.  
Tay is sorting the pictures in his head, thinking about how to edit them later on when human New puts his chin on his shoulder.  
Tay jumps at the contact and New laughs.

It seems like the time has come to broach the subject.  
“Are you okay?”  
New puts his chin back on Tay’s shoulder, looking at the pictures on the display in Tay’s lap while he talks.  
“Hmmm. I don’t turn that often into a cat anymore, most of the time it’s after I’ve taken a nap. Recently I’ve even been able to turn back into a human at will.”  
The puffs of his breath tingle against Tay’s neck with each word that leave his lips.  
Tay finds himself unable to concentrate on much of what New is saying.  
“I still have no idea why I turn at all.” New leans back after a long sigh escapes him which sends Tay into overdrive.  
“Can I drive you back?”, New asks while stuffing his shirt back into his slacks.  
Tay hums in affirmation, still trying to calm himself down.  
After fixing his outfit New gets into the driver’s seat and starts the engine.  
The air from the air-conditioner is on full blast and Tay gets a face full of stale air into his face. He knows he must have looked funny when New tries hard not to smile.  
Going into a giggling fit about his own stupidity he finally calms his heart down.  
They decide to head for Chidlom first to fetch Tay’s clothes from New’s apartment.  
Tay relaxes against the backrest, glancing at New on occasion who seems to be immersed into driving.  
"Do you know who sang at the opening? The American? She has a great voice." Tay tries to remember the name. The car comes to a halt in front of a red light.  
"You mean Alecia Key's? She's really famous."  
New looks back at him and their eyes meet.  
Without saying anything they just sit like that. Tay feels like he’s losing ground, staring into New’s round, dark eyes.  
A car honking behind them alerts them to the light turning green and Tay turns his head to look out of the window. "Well, her music was nice."  
New reaches for the stereo, blindly entering the letters and a song from today’s evening fills the car.  
They spend the drive singing her songs, Tay not quite confident in his voice humming under his breath. New seems to have forgotten all awkwardness between them, singing louder with each song.  
His voice is low and a warm feeling spreads through Tay’s chest.

New’s apartment looks like a mess. Tay wades through convenience store bags filled with trash and piles of clothes before settling on the only empty spot on the sofa.  
New doesn’t seem to be embarrassed at all, making his way to the bathroom to retrieve Tay’s clothes.  
It doesn’t take long, but when he comes back Tay’s head has lolled against his chest and he’s fast asleep.

“Tay, Tay...” New shakes him softly by the shoulders.  
Tay’s scrunches his face when he fights to open his eyes.  
The clock on the wall tells him that it’s already way past midnight. He has been up and working for most of the day, his energy finally seeming to have run out.  
“I’ll get a cab.” He yawns.  
“I’ll drive you.”  
Tay shakes his head, both to get rid of the sleepiness and to stop New from grabbing his car keys again.  
“You’d have to drive back and forth and it’s already late.”  
Instead of standing up he remains seated on the edge of the sofa in a daze. He’s not fully awake and despite the messiness New’s apartment makes him feel at ease and oh so tired.  
“You can sleep here, if you want to.” New’s voice sounds unsure.  
Tay tries to lift his head to see if the look on New’s face is sincere, but he can already feel his eyelids getting heavier and it takes up all his energy to stay awake.  
He nods and turns to lie down on the sofa. His head collides painfully with a pile of books.  
Newwiee laughs at his misery, pulling him back up again and guiding him to his bedroom.

The room feels much warmer than the living room.  
Not caring about anything in his sleepy stupor Tay strips down to his underwear and faceplants onto one side of the bed.  
The sheets smell nice and a satisfied grin forms on his face.  
Tay is about to drift off when the bed dips on the other side, New carefully lying down.  
Tay cracks one eye open but in the darkness he can only make out the general outline of New’s body.  
However the puffs of air on his forehead make it clear that New must lie down facing him.  
“New?”  
New grumbles in response, feeling quite sleepy.  
It gets silent in the room.  
Just the short puffs of air against his skin.  
New’s minty breath is tantalizing.  
Tay reaches out with one hand, fumbling in the dark until he reaches New’s chin, carefully framing his face with his hand.  
It might be the sleepiness.  
Or the fuzzy feeling that still lingers after unexpectedly seeing New in the crowd today.  
Whatever it is, for a moment it sweeps away all his restraint.  
Tay’s thumb draws slow circles on New’s cheek.  
Head devoid of any rational thought and his nose full of New’s scent he stretches his neck, their noses bumping into each other before he softly kisses New’s lips.  
Tay draws back and waits, hand still holding onto New’s face.  
In the distance he can hear the minute hand of the clock moving to the next line.  
Then there’s a hand on his back, pulling him closer and New’s lips on his.  
He breathes in a mouth full of mint, his lungs hurting as New insists on not breaking their kiss. It’s chaste but expectant and Tay slowly moves his lips against New’s savouring the sweet taste.  
New whines when Tay breaks away so he places a few soft kisses to the corner of New’s mouth before he lets his head sink right next to New’s into the cushion.  
Before he can register that New’s breathing has evened out Tay has already drifted off to sleep.

Tay wakes up to a cat sleeping on his face and effectively blocking his airway.  
He jolts up, the fluffy white ball getting flung to the lower end of the bed.  
“New!!”

 

*(น้ำขึ้นให้รีบตัก) - When the water rises, hurry to get some

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know that taynew are slowburn personified but under the circumstance of this supernatural cat!au i thought it'd be nice to have them slip up for a second ^^
> 
> i hope they don't read as too ooc.

**Author's Note:**

> https://twitter.com/taynewstuff/status/1082336065514541057 to see the original post


End file.
